Urban Spatial Dynamics and Street Surveillance in Juja Settlement, Kenya: Implications for Crime Prevention and Urban Planning

Abstract

Space syntax, specifically, axial analysis as represented by axial lines and observation of the public open spaces, was undertaken to unveil the urban spatial dynamics and street surveillance in Juja settlement, Kenya. The research identifies three primary land uses, namely commercial, residential, and idle land, and explores the presence of various human activities, traffic patterns, surveillance opportunities, and street luminance in the area. The study found that Juja Settlement’s land use distribution is as follows: 66% residential, 16.7% commercial, and 17.5% idle land uses, suggesting that the predominant land use is residential. The study also shows that Juja Settlement’s streets have moderate mean integration (HH) value of 0.672149208 and a low mean connectivity value of 3.4. Concerning street traffic flows, Juja settlements’ streets are principally pedestrian, at above 80% with low motorised transport at slightly above 10%. Therefore, Juja is primarily a residential settlement with poor public open spaces layout, predisposing the settlement to increased incidences of urban crimes such as snatch theft and robberies.